


out of the shadows, the moonlight shines

by chrobins



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: CIPA, Gen, It's a very light implication, M/M, Training Camp, but more of the beginnings of a bond, they're not really together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-14
Updated: 2015-11-14
Packaged: 2018-05-01 15:36:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5211302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chrobins/pseuds/chrobins
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>THE EPISODE THAT AIRED TODAY WAS MARVELOUS. I WROTE THIS BASED ON MY EXCITEMENT.</p>
<p>It also includes my headcanon that Kuroo has CIPA and also the reason why he doesn't wear kneepads. His coaches need to keep a close eye on his knees and pull him out when necessary to make sure he doesn't sustain any injuries that he doesn't notice.</p>
            </blockquote>





	out of the shadows, the moonlight shines

It’s hard not to miss the happenings in the third gymnasium at Shinzen High. Bokuto is as loud as ever, his voice carrying outside. _It’s childish_ , Tsukishima thinks to himself as he tries to sneak by without getting noticed. But, to his demise, someone does notice him. “Yo, Megane-kun.” Tsukishima nearly screams at the sudden voice by his feet and sees Nekoma’s captain sitting on the steps just outside the gym with a water bottle in his hands.

 

Managing not to make noise, the blonde clears his throat and narrows his eyes at Kuroo. “My name is Tsukishima.”

 

“Alrighty then, Tsukishima-kun. You up for blocking tonight?” The blonde huffs a sigh; this is what he wanted to avoid. “We’re especially low on members tonight.”

 

Tsukishima frowns. “Why are you so insistent on getting me to help you? It’s really annoying.” The blonde mutters the last bit under his breath, hoping it was loud enough for the captain to hear how much disdain he had for being cornered like an animal.

 

“‘Why,’ you say.” Kuroo smiles and stretches out his legs. And that’s when Tsukishima notices why Kuroo’s hanging outside in the first place. It never really crosses his mind as to why Kuroo never wear kneepads...but the ice and plastic wrap around Kuroo’s knee right now must have something to do with it. “Don’t you want to get any better?”

 

_Again with the provocation..._ Although Tsukishima knows exactly what the captain was doing, it is in his nature to respond to it. “It’s just a club; it’s not like I’m good enough to play beyond high school.” The blonde looks down at the ground, curling his hands into fists. “Besides...if I try so hard, losing is just going to be all the more difficult. And I’d rather not deal with those... _emotions.”_

 

Kuroo stares at the blonde, watching his earnest feelings. “Ah, I see. You’re just scared.” That ticks a nerve in Tsukishima; he wants to punch Kuroo really badly. “But, that’s normal. Putting in a lot of effort into something can also be dangerous; I too know how that can play out badly.” Kuroo gives a soft laugh and readjusts his legs, keeping the plastic wrap tight on his knees. “During my first year, I didn’t have Kenma on the team since he’s a year younger. So I wanted to prove my worth to the current setter and went all out to impress them and the coaches.” Kuroo sighs. “I got way too into practices, going all out for recieves, blocks, spikes...it took a huge toll on my body and I ended up hurting myself real bad.”

 

Tsukishima takes the time to look at the captain’s legs, notices how they’re shaking ever so slightly; Kuroo doesn’t look like he’s in any pain, but he must be putting on a front. “But you can still play now?”

 

Kuroo smiles. “Yeah, thankfully.” He watches as Tsukishima’s stance becomes more relaxed as he leans against one of the poles. “I have this condition...where I can’t really feel pain. So, if I do end up hurting myself, I don’t notice it. When I dig, or block a heavy spiker, I can feel the weight of the impact, but there’s no pain that I notice. And when I get in a good vibe, I keep going until someone else has to tell me to stop. And thankfully my coach pulled me out of our first game and noticed my knees were banged up, and not in a good way.” Kuroo looks down at his knees with a sorrowful look that reminds him of Akiteru. “I had to sit out for the entire season, my first year debut. All because I worked too hard to get to where I am today.”

 

“Why didn’t you quit?” There’s a long pause of silence after Tsukishima’s words. No one had ever asked Kuroo that before, why he didn’t stop endangering himself with the risk of hurting himself again and losing everything.

 

Kuroo opts for laughing, which startles the blonde. “From when I was little, volleyball was everything. I forced Kenma to practice with me every day, we went out to watch high school matches, I studied tapes of the olympics, I joined a club and followed through to an amazing volleyball school. As cheesy as it sounds, I live and breathe volleyball. I don’t know if you feel the same way, but you’ve got to have at least an ounce of curiosity for volleyball, don’t you?”

 

Tsukishima tenses up at the accusation. “Not...really…”

 

“It’s gotta be, right? Otherwise you wouldn’t have attended Karasuno, let alone join the volleyball club if you just didn’t care.” Tsukishima doesn’t know how to respond to Kuroo’s provocation. “I can see beyond that standoffish front you put up, Tsukishima-kun.” Kuroo stretches and stands up, wiggling out his sore legs. “I’m not really good with words, but I’m sure you’re getting at what I’m hinting at, aren’t you?” Tsukishima finds that he’s frozen, in a state of awe and shock. “What else in your life do you have besides volleyball? I can’t answer that for you, but for me, I have nothing. That’s why I don’t quit. That’s why I give it my all every time. I don’t fear losing; the way I see it, a loss is just another stepping stone on the way to victory.”

 

Kuroo starts unwrapping the plastic and smiles at the blonde when he’s done. “You sure you don’t want to practice? Bokuto’s been itching to spike against you again.”

 

Tsukishima adjusts his glasses; there’s no way that one of the top five spikers in the nation could want to practice against someone like him. “Maybe some other time.” Tsukishima gathers his belongings and puts on the same smile that he had when Kuroo have provoked him earlier. “Then, goodnight.” Tsukishima walks away, trying to keep a cool face at least until he gets into the building they’re sleeping in.

 

But Kuroo’s words shake him down to his core, sending endless shivers up his spine. _But for me, outside of volleyball, I have nothing. That’s why I don’t quit. That’s why I give it my all every time._ Tsukishima tries to shake the thoughts out of his mind while he’s in the bath, cooling down from a long day of training. _I don’t fear losing._

 

Kuroo’s voice resonates in his head all night. And when he does go back to the third gymnasium the next night, after Yamaguchi nearly pushed him to the ground and paved a pathway to his growth, all the arrows his friends and acquaintances have led him to, Tsukishima can feel the restlessness in his bones, the ache to step onto the court.

 

_“If you experience that moment, it will really get you hooked on volleyball.”_ Bokuto’s words push him into the threshold, and the light on the court is blinding. His vision isn’t so dark anymore.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Please tell me what you thought!


End file.
